Friday, July 8, 2016

The first volley fired by DC looks strangely familiar.
Review by Matt Cummings

DC's Legion of Collectors box has established itself as a very good competitor to the flooded sub box market. Filled with an eerily similar Funko every-other-monthly, it's also grown to include awesome shirts. There have been some missed opportunities, but nothing so severe that caused me long-term worry. July's box all but removes any doubt, gifting us an impressive amount of Squad gear, while getting us ready for August's movie release.
The Promise

Before we begin, let's look at the deal again: promising a value of $50, the sub continues the tradition of Funko partnering each time to deliver an exclusive figure and t-shirt without the fluff or filter (their words). Joining at the VIGILANTE MEMBERSHIP, members receive 6 boxes every year, with the promise of an exclusive themed collectible gift on the one-year anniversary of your annual membership pf $150 p sh/h. You can also subscribe at the SIDEKICK LEVEL at $25 with $6.95 shipping. That's literally the same deal as Marvel Collector Corps.
DC/Funko promises a similar one-year anniversary item with VIGILANTE, so I'm jonzing to see what they will bring once my subscription is up.
The Delivery
We use QUALITY and TIMING to base our reviews, so let's see how this box stands up. As always, we'll end our review with some additional thoughts after the unboxing:

The Guts
We get a pretty cool interior for this one, complete with actual photos of the Squad, as opposed to comic-paneled glam shots. Deadshot, Entrantress, Harley Quinn, and others welcome us to a box with big plans and the goods to deliver them.
In addition to the nice box layout, I was very impressed with this month's pin/patch collection. Instead of playing it safe and adding The Joker here, Legion picked up Katana and a masked Deadshot. These are very cool, and an improvement over last month's Supergirl patch. VERDICT: WIN and WIN.
The Comic
The variant comic of Suicide Squad features the Funko version of Harley, and it's perhaps the best cover Legion has done so far. I love the color and detail, adding the Joker cards for a final smack across your face. Add the bagged/boarded presentation, and it's another WIN.
The Shirt
Delving deeper into the box, we get a surprise that I'll focus on in just a moment: Funko action figures! But for now, lemme crush all over this shirt, which is another score for Legion. It's been the most consistent part of their presentation - save the great Funko figures - and this shirt is one of my faves. It's soft right out of the bag, and will find a place of honor with my other Squad shirts (thanks, Terry!). For now, this is such a big WIN.
Action Figures
I wasn't aware that Funko did actual 3.75" figures, but these aren't bad. Coming from a guy who collects Marvel Legend 6" and Marvel Select 8", these of Harley and (finally) Joker are good enough, and Harley's bat is super cool. Still, they are 3.75" and not particularly poseable, but the paint and molds are sharp. I'll probably sell these off, because they are Funko exclusives, but if you're a collector this duo is going to do some serious damage in the film. VERDICT: PUSH.
Figure First Impressions
Funko brings us an exclusive Enchantress to the box; but as you can see, it looks like it might have been damaged in the shipping process. But it's a solid sculpt, reminding us that Funko kicks so much ass in their presentations, even if it's for someone that I frankly don't know much about. But isn't that the point with this particular box, to introduce us to this expansion of the DC Film Universe? No matter how you look at it, chock up Enchantress as another WIN.
The Bottom Line

DC's Legion of Collectors for July is a terrific introduction to The Suicide Squad film arriving in August. Filled with a diverse amount of offerings, including an excellent Funko Enchantress and Squad t-shirt, the box also features Legion's best variant comic. This is a great way to introduce us to the ultra-violent world that Rick Flagg (and eventually Batman) will have endure, and I cannot wait now to see how the film plays out. Until then, this box and series comes RECOMMENDED.
Want to read our other sub box reviews? We've got them all listed below:
MARVEL COLLECTOR CORPSMayJuneAugustOctoberDecemberFebruaryAprilJuneDC LEGION REVIEWSMayGEEK FUEL REVIEWSSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecemberJanuaryMarchAprilMaySMUGGLER'S BOUNTYJanuary
MarchMay
Discuss this review with fellow SJF fans on Facebook. On Twitter, follow us at @SandwichJohnFilms, and follow author Matt Cummings at @mfc90125.